I'm Sorry I Couldn't Be Your Hero
by Puella Pulchra
Summary: Summery: Everyone thought that Max's need to be a villain stemmed from his inability to cope with the fact that he might have to deal with being second best. Little did they know that his reasoning for becoming the biggest villain on the planet stemmed not from insecurity, but from the need to retain his best friend who died because he was unable to be her hero.
1. I'm Sorry I Couldn't Be Your Hero

**A/N When I wrote this I was unaware that Metroburg was a town only filled with Supers so that being said for the sake of this story Metroburg is just an ordinary town.**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN**

* * *

The first time he met Crystal she had been walking to her seat after having been introduced as the new student.

She had looked shy to him, but nothing completely out of the ordinary. Small mousy messy brown hair green eyes. She looked thin too, not like anorexic thin but like maybe she should have eaten that extra cheeseburger.

He would have completely ignored her too if it hadn't been for the fact that she had tripped on her way to her own desk and landed in his lap.

Her face had flushed crimson at finding herself in his lap.

"I'm sorry" She said her voice barely audible to his ears.

He simply smiled and nodded to her.

* * *

"So what evil scheme are you planning for your sister?" Crystal asked Max as she sat down beside him on the grass on the far edge of the school yard where he was a large holding a large thermos that he hadn't opened yet. She was wearing a grey sweat shirt and jeans, the same type of outfit she always wore.

Max stared at her. "How do you know me so well?"

Crystal smiled. "You're face is easy to read and right now, you have that face that says "I am planning some evil prank on my sister"" She told him.

"I could be pranking some other unsuspecting student."

Crystal gave him a dry look. "You wouldn't look nearly so malicious" She said. Carefully she opened her own lunch box and pulled out a Bacon and ham sandwich and started to eat it. Max himself opened his thermos and started to eat his lunch.

"Seriously though I can't read you nearly as well" Max stated.

Crystal smiled at him "I guess I'm better at hiding my feelings then you are" She said.

Max shrugged and accepted it, though had he paid closer attention, he would have noticed that Crystal's smile seemed a little forced.

* * *

"I can't believe I let you convince me to do that" Crystal grumbled though Max could tell that she was only half angry. "Egging the teacher is going firmly under NEVER AGAIN" She said. The last two words a screech.

"Oh it's not that bad" Max said. "It's just 3 weeks' detention."

Crystal rolled her eyes. "Max you know my dad doesn't like it when I'm home late." This time Max heard the slight fear in her voice, but he just ignored it, assuming that she was the afraid of being yelled at.

Max shrugged "You could have said no." he said as the reached the stairs.

Crystal looked down her face blushing. "Yeah probably" She said.

Max looked at Crystal with an eyebrow raised and she just looked away and continue walking down the stairs unfortunately there was a puddle of water on the step she stepped on and she slipped and started to fall.

With out thinking Max reached out to grab her and activated his telekinesis causing Crystal to levitate a few feet off the ground.

For a few seconds everything just stood still as Max stared wide eyed at Crystal, suddenly afraid of what she would do once he put her down. Crystal stared back at him her entire face showing her relief. She stared back at him calmly not even surprised at what he had done.

He kept her levitated for a few more seconds before he gently lowered her to the landing. She didn't run she just stayed where she was as she waited for him to come down.

He hurried down the stairs and took her hands.

"Are you alright?" He asked her, not even bothering to pretend he hadn't done what he did. "I didn't hurt you did I?"

Crystal shook her head and smiled at him. "I always knew you had powers." She whispered.

Max stared at her with wide eyes. "You knew?"

Crystal nodded. "Of course, your last name was too much of a giveaway, that and half the pranks you've pulled this year could not possibly have been pulled with out at least some form of superpowers." Crystal said with a shrug.

Max just stared at her. "Why didn't you tell me you knew?"

Crystal looked down. "I don't know the rest of your family members, I don't know what kind of powers they have, I didn't know what they would do if they knew I knew."

Max held her tightly. "You were afraid we would erase your memory."

She buried her face in his chest, he could feel tears stain his shirt her hands clutching the blue fabric. "You're the best person I know, and my only friend, I **couldn't lose you."** She told him.

He returned the hug. "Don't worry Crystal, nothing will happen to you, I promise."

Crystal said nothing as he returned her hug they stayed like that for several minutes before the teacher came by and told them to leave.

* * *

Max never told his family that a citizen knew the family secret. He knew that his family would freak if they found out that he had revealed the family secret.

On top of that Crystal's worries had somehow manifested themselves in him. He had never before given much thought to the idea that his parents might have a mind erase machine, but now that Crystal had given him that idea that they might, he felt it extremely necessary to keep her secret until he knew for sure that Crystal would be safe.

That being said, now that Crystal knew he could have a lot more fun, then before she was aware of his abilities.

Pranks that he had to have her look away for, she could now not only see, she could come up with ways to use his power that not even he had thought of before.

With his heating abilities (that he never really used) she convinced him that if used properly could be used for countless pranks. Instead of fires he could use the abilities to make some feel really, really sick. He could convince a teacher to head home early because all of a sudden she had a temperature of 102.

It was she that would convince him to burn the food some bullies had been eating when they made fun of him.

Now that she knew his secret, instead, of her being extremely clueless about what was going on, she could now not only know, but help come up with clever ways in which he could use his powers to make his fellow classmates miserable.

* * *

"Ms. Leclaire, I believe you think this is funny"

Crystal pursed her lips in an attempt to stop herself from smiling. The teacher had found herself with red splotchy skin (Some one had found out their teacher was allergic to lilac pollen) so Crystal had the clever idea to pick some lilacs and have Max use his powers to place them in the air vents. With in minutes Lilac pollen was everywhere and now their teacher was sneezing and scratching every chance she had.

"No Ms. Verna" She told her.

Ms. Verna narrowed her eyes at Crystal. "Did you have anything to do with this?" She said.

Max stared wide eyed as he whipped his head to stare at Crystal.

Crystal shook her head. "No" She said her eyes wide and innocent.

Ms. Verna stared at Crystal, her eyes red and watery. "If I found out you had anything to do with putting the lilacs in the vent system, I will call in your father."

"I had nothing to do with it" Crystal said vehemently.

Max looked at her worriedly, angry Crystal was never a good thing. Crystal always seemed to get angry whenever her father was mentioned.

Ms. Verna narrowed her eyes at that but said no more.

Crystal breathed deeply and leaned back in her chair her eyes down focused on her notebook. She always got emotional whenever her father was involved.

Crystal's father according her was an exceedingly strict parent, punishing her at the slightest provocation, many times Max had been unable to call her because her father had, for some reason or another, taken away her cell phone.

Max looked at her again and she turned to him and smiled uneasily.

Max felt a bout of uneasiness in the pit of his stomach, but he ignored it, Crystal was fine her father was the chief of police how could she possibly be in any danger?

* * *

Of all the things they had done since she had found out, Max had noticed that her most favorite thing in the world was flying. They would head out to the field and he would lift her up with his telekinesis as high as he could so she could look down below on the earth.

He found that he liked doing that for her, the smile that lit up her face when he offered was one of the most beautiful things that he had ever seen and he knew that he had to do what ever necessary to keep that smile in place.

They lay in the grass he had just finished making her fly and they were lying on the ground enjoying the feeling of the sun on her face.

Suddenly Crystal turned over and hugged max as tightly as she could.

"Would you ever by _my_ hero" Crystal whispered to him.

Max looked down at her confused. "Of course I would."

Crystal looked at him her eyes staring at him as though searching for any lies. Before she nodded and leaned back to the ground her hand still clutching his. "Ok" She said.

* * *

 _Ring! Ring!_

Max reached over tiredly and grabbed his cellphone.

"Hello?" He said.

"Max?" Max shot out of bed. That voice … it was Crystal and by the sounds of it she was crying.

"Max, please, I need you here" Crystal said her voice shaking as she tried to tell him.

Max was already putting his shoes back on and heading out the door.

"What's wrong Crystal" He said running down the stairs

"It's my dad he…" Suddenly there was a loud bang and what sounded like Crystal screaming before the line went dead.

Max looked at his phone in wide eyed horror before running as fast as he could out the door and down the street to Crystal's house.

The door was locked, no problem, within seconds the door was unlocked and he was inside.

The house was a mass broken plates lay all over the floor a table was over turned and every few feet seemed to be blood spatters.

"Crystal?" He called through the house. No one answered. The entire house was quiet.

He ran through the house calling her name as he headed for her room.

The second he opened the door he fell to his knees.

Crystal lay on the ground her blood pouring from a gunshot wound in her chest. Her eyes were wide open as she stared at him.

Max took off his shirt and knelt down beside her.

"Max" She said pointing to her feet Max looked down and noticed that by her feet lay her phone, he picked it up and dialed 911.

"I think my friends been shot." He said. "Please send an ambulance to 19 Red Chestnut Blvd" He said into the phone.

He held her hand. "There's a lot of blood and I don't know what to do" He said.

When the ambulance came he hung up the phone. "Crystal, who did this?" He asked. He had to know, and he had to make them pay.

Crystal looked at him. "My father" She said. "Shot me. Please don't-"

And that's all he could get out of her before the paramedics arrived.

He had been told to wait outside where the police questioned him. He explained he explained what happened that she had called him in the middle of the night begging for help how he ran over to the house and found her lying on the ground bleeding. All he could was wait until Crystal was wheeled out on a gurney. After that he stopped talking and ran to the parameds begging them to let him ride.

They allowed it only after it became obvious she had no one else.

He held her hand as they worked on her trying to keep he alive. When they reached the hospital they wheeled her into the ER while he was forced into the waiting room.

It took hours before the surgeon came to talk to him.

"I'm sorry" The surgeon told him "but she's dead."

That had been the first time he had lost control over his powers. The window behind him shattered into a million pieces.

That alarmed the doctors but thankfully he didn't question him about it.

"Can I see her?" He asked.

The doctor looked as though he were going to say no but something about Max's expression must have changed his mind.

He entered the room and stared at her a single sheet was all that was covering her body. Her eyes closed as if in sleep.

He stumbled forward and grabbed her hand. "I'm sorry" He told her. "I'm so sorry" He cried.

For what seemed like hours he cried as he begged the body of his best friend for forgiveness, she could no longer give him.

"I swear, I will avenge your killer Crystal" He told her "No matter what I will find him and I will end him."

* * *

He went home after that his parents had questioned him on his whereabouts but he just evaded them unable to answer what he had been through instead he just went upstairs to his room and lay on his bed thinking.

That's when he felt himself being teleported out he didn't even have time to scream as materialised in a strange den.

"Well. Well, Well" A deep voice said.

"Where am I" He asked standing.

"No continue looking down" The voice said. And immidiatly Max felt himself looking at his shoes. Unable to look up.

"So… you lost your best friend"

Max fists clenched as they reminded him of what he endured not two hours before.

"And not only that, but you lost her because you couldn't be her hero" The voice chuckled as though the news was merely amusing to them.

Around him objects started to shake as his anger started to become hard to control.

"Now, now, none of that" The voice said an immediately everything stopped shaking.

Max felt confused.

"My powers include nullifying all superpowers" The voice said. "And making them my own"

Max felt worried at the thought of this being having his powers.

"Oh do not worry" The woman said. "I'll give them back"

Max glared at the ground his head still refusing to lift. "What's the catch?"

"For your powers? Nothing when I'm done speaking you can leave with your powers intact."

"Then what do you want?"

"Your alliance"

Max laughed. "Why would I join supervillains?" He asked the woman.

The voice was a taunting whisper. "Because we have something you want" The voice said.

Max rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah? What's that?" He asked sarcastically.

He heard the woman snap his fingers and he heard something big and heavy being rolled into the room.

"Look" Immediately Max lifted his head and his eyes widened at what he saw.

"That was destroyed!" He exclaimed for infront of him was the only time machine in existence.

"Foolish boy, do you honestly think that we would allow for this precious treasure to be destroyed?" The Voice said. Max hadn't yet looked at her instead allowing his eyes to rake the time machine.

"Ok so you have it." Max said angrily. "So what?"

"We would allow you to use it to go save your girl friend"

Max narrowed his eyes. "What's the catch?"

"You agree to prove to us that you can be the most evil villain of all time" The woman said. "Prove to us you can renounce your father, and we will allow you to use this to save your friend."

Max stared at the machine for a long moment imagining his mistake rectified and his best friend back in his arms.

He closed his eyes as tears fell from his face.

"I'll do it" He said. "I'll become the most evil villain on the planet, in return you will allow me to rescue _her_ " He said.

"Deal" The woman said and before he knew it he was teleported back into his room.

* * *

 **3 years later**

It was the day.

So on that day he put his plans aside as snuck out of the house, got on the bus and headed back to metroburg.

The ride out was several hours long, but to Max it felt as though only a few minutes had passed before he was back in his old home.

He stopped at a flower shop and bought a dozen white lilies. Crystal had always liked white lilies.

He headed down to the cemetery knelt down beside her grave.

Tears sprang to his eyes as he stared at the grave stone.

 **Crystal LeClair**

 **Born 1998-2012**

There was no inscription for her, Max couldn't think of one feeling that all the typical ones where far to good for his best friend, and he didn't know any other inscription that would fit her.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't save you" He whispered as he knelt down in front of the grave. "But I swear, I'm doing everything I can to save you." He told the grave. "Even if it takes me forever, I will get you back."

He wiped away the tears in his eyes before leaving. IT was a long trek back to Hiddenville and if he stayed any later he knew his parents would become suspicious.

He stood and walked away, every footstep feeling a thousand times heavier then last as he left the one place he didn't want to leave.

From behind a huge pine stepped out a girl who appeared to be around 16 years old with brown hair and tanned skin. She stared back at Max's retreating figure before turning to stare at the grave. Her eyes filled with sadness as she stared.

Slowly she approached the grave and placed a single lily on her grave.

Phoebe slowly turned and left the grave.

* * *

 **A/N Hope you liked that please review!**


	2. You Were Always My Hero

**A/N So some people requested a new chapter so I happily obliged; this is Crystal's side of the story, so be warned there are some scenes of abuse in this and the very first scene has her contemplating suicide.**

 **If I have offended anyone with how I have portrayed abuse here I am extremely sorry, that was not my intention.**

* * *

 **You Were Always My Hero**

 _You're so useless_

The knife's steel blade felt so cold on Crystal's skin as she contemplated putting more pressure and ending it right there in the kitchen.

No one would care, she had no friends in her old school and she hadn't even met anyone yet then went to her knew school, her father would probably be ecstatic that he had one less mouth to feed.

She wouldn't have to worry about school work, or her father coming home drunk, or anything ever again.

 _If it hadn't been for you, your mother would still be here_

Her grip on the knife's handle tightened as her father's words came back to her. Tears fell down her cheeks in sadness that she was hated by the one man who should have loved her most.

The radio blared "Thunder Man has saved the world."

Crystal paused in her attempt to put the knife down and shut the radio off. Her hands clasped over the sink as she contemplated what she should do.

She checked the time on the clock in the kitchen: 8:00 she had maybe half an hour to get to school if she hurried.

Her eyes landed on the knife once again. She sighed, cleaned it and put it back in it's holder.

The knife would still be there tonight. She reasoned to herself.

* * *

"Hey" Crystal looked up from her notebook to see the boy she had fallen on top of that morning.

She nodded her head at him. "Hi"

"Are you working on this project alone?" The boy asked. Crystal looked down and nodded.

"I don't have a partner; do you mind if we work together?" Crystal stared at the boy, very few people ever willingly worked with her and when they did she was the one who was always stuck with work. She stared at his face looking for the signs that she had seen in other people.

The only thing she could detect was kindness, mischievousness, and nervousness. Nothing to hint that he would be malicious toward her but the mischievousness she saw in his eyes was enough of a hint that she should be on her toes.

"Ok" She said. "But no pranks" She said sternly. Max looked at her wide eyed confused as to how she could have known that.

"I know that look in your eyes." She said having no idea where this burst of confidence came from but deciding to go with it anyway. "I'm simply asking that you wait until _after_ the project before you embarrass me ok?"

Max's eyes seemed to dim in intensity as though she had just swiped the rug out from under his feet.

Crystal for some reason felt guilty but pushed it aside for later. "You already know my name I assume" She said (she had announced to the class before falling into his lap. "But I don't know yours."

"Max" The boy said holding out his hand for her to shake. "Max Thunderman."

 _Thunderman? No way that has GOT to be a coincidence_. Crystal thought before taking his hand. "Nice to meet you Max." She told him.

As they worked on the project together she found that she actually liked him, he was funny, and made her laugh, and the best part of it all – he was kind.

For the first time in a long time their was someone out there who actually liked her and didn't want to hurt her, she found herself eager to see him again,

She never went near the knife that night.

* * *

Several weeks had gone by before Crystal had grown comfortable around him to actually hangout with him outside of class. They would stay behind after school and Max would tell her of the pranks he was planning to pull on his sister when he got home.

Crystal had started to learn the difference between him wanting to prank a teacher, an unsuspecting student, or his twin sister. He tended to look a lot more malicious when planning on pranking his sister then he ever did when pranking a teacher or a student.

"How do you know me so well?" Max had asked her one day during lunch after she had asked him what prank he was planning.

Crystal smiled at him and shrugged. "Your face is easy to read and right now you have a face that says 'I'm going to prank my sister" She told him.

"It could be another unsuspecting student"

"You wouldn't look nearly so malicious." Crystal told him.

* * *

She had also started to notice that whenever people were mean to her all of a sudden they started to trip over themselves.

A girl who had been jealous of the attention Max had given her had made the mistake of 'accidently' pouring hot coffee all over her shirt in front of Max the next day the girl had found every single article of clothing she had kept in her locker burned to hell.

"What did you do?" Crystal had asked Max. Not fooled for even a second.

Max had just shrugged. "Brought a blow torch in late last night and torched each individual article of clothing she kept inside her locker." He told her not even bothering to hide it.

"Why?" Crystal asked. _Uh huh right how exactly did you get a blow torch in to the school unnoticed by anyone?_

"She burned you" Max shrugged. "I thought it fitting I burn something important of hers."

Crystal's eyes softened at that before shaking her head and punching him in the arm(Something that would have been unthinkable several weeks before).

"Idiot" She hissed. "I'm not worth you getting in trouble for."

Max blinked at her. "Of course you are" He told her. "You're my friend."

Crystal shook her head and sighed. "Never again, ok?"

Max never answered her and instead changed the subject. "Want to help me prank my sister?" He asked her.

Crystal rolled her eyes but helping him come up with pranks had always been a fun release for her so she nodded.

* * *

Egging the teacher, she had always told him that pranking a teacher was not something she wanted to do, but when he looked at her with those eyes practically begging her to live a little, for once, she found herself unable to say no. She vaguely wondered if getting people to do what he wanted was another superpower he had, but soon found herself having too much fun egging the teacher to care.

That's when their relationship changed.

The teacher had just finished yelling at them warning them that their parents would be hearing about this. They were walking down the stairs with Crystal telling Max that she was never _ever_ doing that again when she slipped on a puddle of water.

Max screamed at her his hands out stretched as though to grab her when she felt herself being lifted into the air.

Max just stared at her wide eyed, but Crystal was calm and happy; relieved that she had been saved.

Slowly Max placed her on the landing and he hurried down the stairs.

"Are you ok?" He asked her worriedly. "I didn't hurt you did I?"

"I knew you had powers" Crystal said happily.

Max stared at her in surprise. "You knew?"

Crystal nodded. "Of course, your last name was to much of a giveaway, that and half the stunts you've pulled this year could not possibly have been pulled with out at least some form of superpowers." She said with a shrug.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Crystal sighed and told him that she was afraid that they would wipe her memory if they found out, that she couldn't lose the only friend she ever had.

Max held her as tightly as he could and swore to her that he would protect her.

Crystal said nothing to that instead just enjoyed the feeling of his arms around her. They stayed like that for a while until a teacher found them and told them to go home.

* * *

"You, _Stupid_ girl" Her father yelled slamming her into the ground. Doing just enough to damage the parts of her body that would be covered by clothes.

Crystal said nothing instead just stayed on the ground. She had spent enough time under her father's roof to know that standing when he wasn't done just increased the pain.

"How dare you do something like this" He growled at her kicking her hard in the stomach.

"I'm sorry" Crystal gasped.

"I told your mother to end the pregnancy" Her father shouted at her. "Why she gave her life for a sniveling little brat like you I'll never understand." He said kicking her again.

Crystal closed her eyes forcing her mind away from the moment as she thought of Max.

It was a habit she had come to do whenever her father's attacks got to painful. She would replay the day they had over and over and over.

It felt like hours later when he finally stopped hurting her.

She couldn't tell Max what she was going through, he would freak and do something completely stupid again.

The reminder of what he had done to that popular girl who had spilled hot coffee all over her blouse – which did hurt by the way- was still fresh in her mind.

Besides it wasn't like she didn't deserve this pain, she was a monster and a brat, just like her father had told her countless times before. She deserved this pain, she deserved to die, and a part of her hated herself for not being able to end it that day in the kitchen that day so long ago.

But then all she had to do was think of Max and remember his smiles, his eyes as they looked at her, his arms as they embraced her, his telekinesis wrapping around her as she flew high above the trees, making her feel both safer and freer than she ever felt before and the feeling of needing to die went away.

She stood and slowly walked to the bathroom she wouldn't have to worry about school; her father never hit her where she was sure to show skin.

She called Max on her cell phone. "Hi Max" She said to the boy when he picked up the phone. "I miss you."

* * *

"If you breathed on her _just enough_ " Crystal was saying. "You'd be able to make her feel as though she was having a fever forcing her to have to go home."

Together Crystal and Max were trying to brainstorm ideas on how to get out of school for the day. So far that idea was the best they had come up with.

Max scrunched his nose. "If I stand far enough away" He mused "That could work."

Crystal had to bite her lip when the teacher started to look red and tired from suddenly feeling so hot.

To the teachers credit she lasted around ten minutes before having to head home because of a fever.

The rest of the class was dismissed early from school and Max and Crystal headed off to the field they liked to be in. It was incredibly deserted so there was a very slim chance at being caught.

* * *

See Crystal loved it when Max used his powers to enable her to fly. He never abused the ability and was always very gentle, he listened to her and they had devised ways of communicating when Crystal was to far up to be heard. By waving her arms in certain directions she could communicate up or down or left or right.

Crystal loved the feeling of flying, it gave her the very brief illusion of freedom, even though deep down she knew that in reality it was just Max holding her up, but for those brief moments of weightlessness she could truly fly.

In the air she could forget about her home life, her hatred of her father, the fact that she was the reason for her mother's death instead she could just focus on how small everything looked from above.

She looked down at Max and sighed and waved her arms in the proper motion that mean 'down'.

Once her feet were back on solid ground she ran to Max and hugged him.

"Thanks" She said. "That felt great."

Max blushed at her contact. "I'm glad you liked it."

* * *

Crystal stayed by her locker as she watched her best friends sister start to gather things from her locker.

 _It's now or never_. Crystal sighed gathered her courage and walked up to the girl.

"Hey Phoebe" Crystal said.

Phoebe turned and smiled at the girl. "Oh hey Crystal, finally decide you're too good for my brother?" She asked jokingly.

Crystal held back a laugh. _I'm too good for him? Please he's to good for me._

Crystal shook her head. "Actually Phoebe, I have a favor to ask."

Phoebe tilted her head confused.

"I need you to promise that if anything happens to me, you'll take care of Max" Crystal said. "You won't let him do something stupid."

Phoebe just stared at Crystal confused. "Are you expecting something to happen?"

Crystal shook her head her stomach twisting at the lie, the truth was her father had started to get a lot more aggressive in his attacks, and she knew that before long she wouldn't be waking up from them at all.

Crystal smiled. "No, it is just a precaution" She told Phoebe.

* * *

Crystal was furious as she stomped out of class that day. "That woman knows _nothing_ ," She hissed as she walked out of class. "She has absolutely no proof and yet blames me, for doing what the entire class was doing."

Max didn't say anything instead just watched her and walked beside her as she vented her rage.

"I mean what happened to her face was hilarious" Crystal said a small laugh escaping. "But I wasn't the only one laughing."

"You _are_ the one who suggested it" Max offered. "Even if I'm the one who executed the idea"

Crystal stopped and closed her eyes and looked down the fight immediately take out of her.

"Yeah" She said her sudden calmness was so quick that Max found himself quite disoriented by the sudden change. "I guess your right."

Images of floating in the air past through her mind and she smiled.

"Can we go to the meadow today?" She asked him.

Max had never refused her before, and he didn't refuse her this time. "Always Crystal" He told her, smiling softly at her.

* * *

She held on for as long as she could. As blood seeped from her wound in those agonizing minutes as she waited for Max to come she couldn't help but go through all her special moments he had with her.

The first time they met, the times he took her flying, the first time he ever used his telekinesis on her, the feeling of happiness he gave her whenever he saw her, the feeling of safety she had come to associate with his embrace, every moment of happiness she had ever felt came back to her.

Max entered her room and stared at her with his eyes filled with horror before he pulled off his shirt and placed it on the gun shot wound in the hopes of stemming the bleeding.

Crystal was floating in and out of consciousness so she only barely heard Max call for an ambulance.

He looked at her holding her hand as tightly as he could.

"Who did this to you" He demanded to her.

Crystal stared at him anger, sadness, helplessness. Yet with all she knew she found herself unable to deny this simple request. "My father" She said. "Shot me. Please don't-" _get revenge for this please, I couldn't bare it if you went down this dark path please_.

She would have told him all that but by that point the paramedics had arrived and Max was forced to step aside and that was the last thing she knew before she lost consciousness.

* * *

She was in the darkness for a long time, not exactly sure what she was waiting for.

 _I'm sorry Max_ She thought to herself. _I should have told you sooner._

She could feel herself being pulled away into the light but with every second she tried to stay for her best friend's sake another force twice as strong was tugging her away.

Eventually she was forced to let go.

 _I'm sorry Max, goodbye_. She thought before succumbing to the pull of death.

* * *

Crystal watched as Max turned to the evil woman and made the deal.

"No" Crystal whispered. "Max, please, no"

She turned away from the scene she had witnessed. "You, stupid boy, I'm not worth that" She said with tears rolling down her cheeks.

"That woman was wrong; you were always my hero." She said before breaking down crying.

* * *

 **A/n So yeah that was Crystal's POV of everything that happened. Hope you enjoyed reading it and please leave a review. I also apologize for the absolute destruction of several laws of science I might have made throughout the course of this chapter.**

 **I also have a Phoebe POV chapter about everything that occurs in the three year gap between Crystal's death and Max visiting her grave three years later, it's not done yet, but give it about a week or two and it will-hopefully-be done.**


	3. You Are Still A Hero To Me

**More snapshots I think this is going to be the last of the snapshot chapters. As none of the other characters would have much of a contribution to the story. Since no one else really knows what's going on or why.**

 **That being said I may or may not delve into another characters thought process later on.**

 **Phoebe's thought process involving her brother is explored in this chapter.**

 **Oh Yeah and Guest Reviews Roth: Aww thanks, believe it or not that was my exact intention. I'm Glad you liked it and I hope you continue!**

 **Britt: Thanks! I hope you continue reading!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Thundermans.**

* * *

 **You Are Still a Hero To Me**

In all honesty despite their constant teasing of each other Phoebe was truly worried about her brother.

He had always expressed a desire to be a hero like their parents, but suddenly over night he suddenly proclaimed that he wanted to be a villain.

It worried her, Max had always shown distaste for villains. Always proclaiming loudly that one day he would be the greatest superhero in the world. To which the Phoebe would scoff and state that it would be she that would be the greatest superhero in the world.

That all changed one day and she was confused as to why.

She would tease and anger and berate him, in the hopes that she could knock some sense into him but all she did was make him even more determined to prove to him that he _could_ be a villain.

So for a while she stopped and just started to observe him.

The first thing she noticed was that Crystal the girl that Max loved to hang out with didn't hangout with him anymore. For a while Phoebe had a terrible thought that maybe Crystal had dumped Max and that was his reasoning. She had thought about finding her and demanding answers, but no matter how far she looked she couldn't find her.

The second thing she noticed was that everyday for hours at time Max would be gone only coming back home minutes before curfew.

Phoebe probably wouldn't have even cared if it hadn't been for the fact that Crystal had been the only person she had seen Max hangout with and Crystal hadn't been seen for weeks.

Every time he came back he looked as though he had been crying; his eyes would be red and tear stains would be just visible on his cheeks.

Their parents had noticed but Max would just shake his head and deny their concerns and escape to his room.

Leaving everyone downstairs worried about him but unable to figure out what was going on.

* * *

Months after his declaration Phoebe had been searching his room for her laptop (Max had taken it for reasons she had yet to discern) Phoebe had come across what appeared to be a highly dangerous weapon.

That's when Phoebe made the decision to not just observe but to follow him. He was in pain obviously, but his plans for villainy weren't just talk he was actually planning on carrying through with it.

Horrible images of her brother handing weapons to villains, him every night stealing from banks far away from MetroBurg, conversing with actual villains on ways to take over the world.

That's when Phoebe finally decided to follow him that night to see where he went.

So after school she searched her brother just spotting him as he left the yard.

She stayed around several feet behind him so as not to make it obvious ,she made a point of not looking at him but at just in front of her so it wasn't completely obvious to anyone that she was following her brother.

Her curiosity grew to concern and horror as he turned into the graveyard.

 _Why would he go there?_ Phoebe asked herself.

Max knelt by a grave that was just a few feet away from a huge pine tree. He started to speak to the grave but her brother was so far away and his voice was so low that she could only make out a few disjointed words every once and a while.

Suddenly a woman appeared beside him. "A pity for how much you care about some _human_." The woman said, the word human came out of her mouth as though it was the most disgusting thing imaginable.

"She was hardly some human" Max stated angrily. "You would do well to remember that."

"You would do well to speak in a civil tongue in my presence." The woman said "You've forgotten how much of a hell I can make your existence should I choose to."

"You asked me to prove to you I can be the most evil villain on the planet, as far as I'm aware _civility_ is not apart of that."

Phoebe's eyes widened at that but stayed in her position worried that making her presence known would just make matters worse.

"Indeed… how are the plans coming along?"

Max shrugged. "I need Utopium, which is hard to get."

"I highly suggest you _figure it out_ " The woman said. "Only by proving that you can do this will you get your best friend back." She said.

Phoebe's eyes widened _what did that mean?_

"How on earth do I know you'll keep your side of the bargain?"

"You don't" The woman said amused. "Yet you _know_ you also don't have a choice. Get it done." She said before disappearing.

Max sighed and turned back to the grave. "I'll get you back" He told the grave. "No matter what it takes, I _will_ get you back."

With that Max stood and slowly walked away.

Phoebe stayed behind for a moment to see if Max had truly left before stepping out from her hiding spot and walked toward the grave, a deep sense of foreboding came over her as she came closer to grave stone.

 **Crystal LeClair**

 **Born 1998-2012**

Phoebe knelt by the grave tears rolling down her cheeks. No wonder her brother wanted to be a villain if her own best friend had died she would have probably done the same thing too.

She slowly traced the name on the grave as though trying to commit it to memory.

 _"_ _Phoebe if anything happens to me, please make sure Max doesn't do anything stupid"_

Phoebe sighed sadly that conversation had been several months ago, and Phoebe hadn't thought anything of it, but maybe if she had, Max wouldn't be feeling this low right now.

Slowly she stood wiped the dirt from her jeans and walked away.

 _I'll do my best Crystal LeClair; he is my brother after all_

* * *

Her brother must have succeeded in finding the Utopium because when Phoebe went back into Max's room a week later, the weapon that Phoebe had been terrified of was gone.

Phoebe had quietly and anonymously sent a text to the hero league telling them that she believed Villains to have a highly dangerous weapon in their arsenal. She had no idea what had occurred after that, but she hoped it had been enough.

* * *

 _I'm so sorry Max_ Phoebe would think to herself whenever she saw her brother reading 'Young Evil Villains monthly' _I'm sorry I didn't ask you why._

Phoebe didn't tell her parents about what she had found, she knew it wouldn't do anything and besides she wasn't sure if she _wanted_ Max to stop, his best friend was gone of course he was going to do everything in his power to bring her back.

She had heard of countless supers breaking several laws (Be they human made or science made) in order to save the person they loved; why should Max have been any different?

Besides, Phoebe could and would stop him whenever he got to far, that she was sure of.

Besides no matter how bad Max got he could never hurt his family, and if he failed he always had her to help him.

"Max…"

Her brother would glare at her. "What Phoebe?" He said sarcastically. "Come to brag about your _perfect_ grades again?"

Phoebe shook her head. _I know why you want to be a Villain_ she thought to herself. _I know about the pain your trying to hide_.

Phoebe sighed. "You know you can come to me right? About anything?"

Max raised an eyebrow. "Whatever Pheebs, I have Villainy things to accomplish, think mom and dad will give me my own Lair?"

Phoebe paused her brother had never been so flippant with her before. Though the deflection of a question he didn't want to answer was _all_ him.

Phoebe thought about it. "They'd have to re-renovate the house to give you one" She said. "So if you catch them on a really, really, really good day, and _not_ tell them that you're making it a villain lair…" Phoebe shook her head. "They _might_ "

Max glared. "Dad thinks it's a phase, it's not, I just don't want to deal with being second best"

 _Liar_

"Even the best superheroes can't be everywhere" Phoebe said. "They may be the best but that doesn't mean they can do everything, besides 'best' is subjective what one person may consider the greatest gift ever, might be considered useless to another."

Max had started to narrow his eyes at the first line but as Phoebe went on the suspicious glance in his eyes dimmed.

"That may be, but you and I have the _exact same powers_ I don't want to be compared to who uses them better in saving the world."

 _You don't care about that Max._

Phoebe sighed. "Well maybe if you _practised more"_

Max rolled his eyes. "Yeah, me _practise,_ right" He said sarcastically. "I do have a life"

 _No, you used to have a life, now you spend your time at the graveyard crying over the friend you lost_

Phoebe glared at Max. "It was just a suggestion; you don't have to be so mean" She said.

Max rolled his eyes and pointed to himself. "Super. Villain." He said enunciating each word as though it was its own sentence.

 _Then why do you visit the grave of the girl you couldn't save?_

Instead of saying that however, Phoebe just rolled her eyes and turned away.

* * *

Phoebe supposed she should have told her parents about what she had found out, but she _knew_ that without a doubt that if they knew his plans and _why_ they would set out to stop him or worse have his memory erased of the only friend he had ever had.

Even if they didn't erase Max's mind, they would have still tried to stop him and honestly, Phoebe wasn't quite sure they should. Phoebe knew that, without a doubt, if someone she loved had been hurt, or killed she would have done everything within her power to rectify it; the right thing be damned.

It was also the reason why she didn't tell Max the truth about her knowing, she knew that Max would start being even more secretive instead of less and she needed to know his plans to make sure that he wouldn't get hurt.

So instead she kept quiet while silently waiting for the day when Max would _tell_ her what was going on.

* * *

"We're moving"

Phoebe couldn't exactly say that she was surprised by the exclamation her parents had started to become more and more tired as the superheroeing went on, deciding that soon they would have to hang up their capes for good.

"Why?" Billy asked confused swiping a bagel from his sister who then proceeded to use her laser eyes to burn his hand.

"Because it's time to hang up our capes" Hank said. "And no matter who the next superhero is we would always feel the need to protect this town, so we feel it safest to leave to where crime is at an all time low, Besides we are hoping to give you children as much as a normal childhood as possible." Hank said.

Phoebe had nothing to say to that, she didn't really have any friends in Metroburg, besides heading out to a new town could be fun.

Max's reaction surprised her, he didn't say anything about leaving. About leaving the town where his best friend was buried in fact he acted as though his parents had only suggested that they go to the store for milk.

"Can I get a lair of my own?" He asked continuing the conversation that he and his parents had been having for the past 4 days.

"No, you are not a supervillain, and _this_ is just a phase you'll grow out of" Hank said angrily.

"It's NOT a phase" Max said angrily while Phoebe just looked on from the background ready to step in if things got messy.

"Do you honestly think I'm going to stand for my own son becoming a Villain?" Hank yelled at Max. "Do you honestly think I want my own son to be fighting against his sister? To be in and out of a high-top security prison where your forced to wear a power inhibitor?" His father yelled.

"Hank, come on, he's just asking for a room." Barbara stated.

"A room for now, what's next, theft? Deals with the devil? Destroying the world?"

Phoebe looked down. _He's already done the second one dad._ She thought.

"It's better than being second best, always being compared to someone else!" Max yelled.

 _Liar! Tell them the truth Max you never cared about that!_ Phoebe wanted to scream, but she couldn't she had no idea what the consequences would be if she revealed what she knew of Max's pain.

Hank and Barb looked to each other. "And you think being a Villain is a good idea?"

Max sighed and looked down. "Please? I just want something that's mine, that I don't have to share"

Phoebe had to say Max's acting was almost superb had she not known the real reason behind Max's switch she would have honestly believed him.

Barb and Hank stared at each other their faces showing concern.

Hank sighed. "Fine, you can have your own room, that can be decorated and designed anyway you like." Hank said. "But it's not a lair."

Max just nodded.

* * *

"Can't wait to see our new school" Phoebe said while in the car on the way to their new house.

"Only you could be excited about going to school" Max said.

Phoebe glared at her brother but bit her tongue to avoid reminding Max that there was a time when he was excited to go to school as well.

"Maybe I'll even make a friend" Phoebe said her mind already fantasizing about all the different friends she would have.

Max snorted. "Yeah who could ever be friends with _you_ " Max laughed.

Phoebe glared at her brother. "I'll have you know I can be very friendly." She told him furiously.

"And also very _un_ popular" Max said smirking at her.

"I'm popular" Phoebe defended.

"You had absolutely no friends back in Metroburg."

"You made exactly one friend and you haven't spoken to her in over two years" Phoebe said regretting her words the second they were out of her mouth. Max's eyes darkened and he started to use his freeze breath, Phoebe retaliated with her heat breath the two powers met in the middle and it created steam right in the middle of the van.

"The two of you knock it off!" Barbara shouted.

Max and Phoebe stopped what they were doing and glared at each other.

"Phoebe's right though, what _did_ happened to Crystal?" Billy asked unaware of just how much of a landmine he was walking into. Phoebe held her breath waiting for Max's reaction but to her surprise Max didn't yell.

"She moved away" Max said dismissively.

"And you never considered to exchange addresses?" Barbara asked.

"I misplaced the address." Max stated his mood becoming more and more darker with every single word his family spoke of his one-time friend.

"Well you could-"

Max cut his mother off. "She and I stopped being friends, Crystal was tired of all the secrets and left."

Phoebe's hand clenched at the obvious lie, but said nothing to dispute it.

Barbara and Hank stared at each other and Barbara turned to stare at Max. "I'm sorry, Max that you lost your friend, but you know the rules."

Max just looked out the window and Phoebe's heart ached for his. _Did she know Max?_ Phoebe couldn't help but wonder.

 _"_ _I need you to promise that if anything happens to me, you'll take care of Max_ _"_ The Crystal's words came back to her and she shook her head.

 _I want to, but I have no idea how_.

* * *

It had taken months to renovate the house, since the only people they could ask to help with renovations were other Superheroes.

Max himself had taken the basement as his own room, stating that when he was done with it would be an amazing lair.

Hank would then tell Max that it wasn't a lair, instead insisting that it was his own room. When Max had a nightlight installed it just added more fuel to the fire.

"It's not a Lair if it has a nightlight" His mother would say. To which Max would roll his eyes but would not have a counter for the argument.

That line would always confuse Phoebe, since when did _Max_ need a nightlight? Max had prided himself on not getting scared, and would rather lie on a bed of broken glass then use a nightlight.

Phoebe had wanted to ask and in fact did, curiosity getting the better of her as always, but Max would just glare at her and refuse to answer.

It pained Phoebe to see Max like this, to see his need to be bad, his _need_ for his family to believe it.

Yet the idea that he was so willing to turn his back on his family, his legacy, just to save his best friend, in some ways made him even braver then Thunderman.

No matter how many times they told him not to, or that it was just a phase, he never broke. He continued on, doing everything he could to prove he could be the Villain he needed to be.

Phoebe didn't know if he would succeed, if he would get what he needed but Phoebe also knew that he would do his damnest to try.

* * *

He had adopted Doctor Colosso.

To be honest that was something Phoebe hadn't expected, though she supposed it would make sense, he needed to prove he was a villain and who else help him prove it then with the help of Dad's old nemesis.

Hank and Barbara had been surprised and disappointed but had allowed it. With the rationality that at the very least they would know if Doctor Colosso was planning something.

Phoebe had just rolled her eyes. _Highly doubt that, you can't even see how much pain your son is in._ But hadn't said anything about it. Besides it wasn't like Colosso could do anything when he was in the form of a bunny.

The only thing everyone agreed on was to keep it secret from the two youngest as there was no reason to terrify them that dad's one-time arch enemy was living in the basement with Max.

* * *

Phoebe stood behind the pine as Max lay the bouquet of lilies on the ground in front of the gravestone, she couldn't help but smile the vision of seeing her brother doing something as simple as laying down flowers on a grave gave her hope that his mind could change.

In her own hand was a single lily. Phoebe in her hurry out the door hadn't thought to bring enough money to pay for an entire bouquet, but when she got to Metroburg and had noticed her brother buying a dozen lilies (Actually paying for them with actual money) it suddenly felt wrong to appear to grave of her brother's best friend's grave empty handed.

So she scrambled as much money together as she could and bought a single white lily. The same flower she had seen Max buy.

She watched Max standing before the grave his shoulders shaking as he cried.

 _Max why do you insist on suffering by yourself?_ Phoebe couldn't help but ask.

Phoebe checked the time on her watch; it was almost 5 o'clock if her brother wanted to get back to Metroburg without questions being raised he would have to leave soon.

It seemed that Max had the same thought as her because a few minutes later Max wiped his eyes and left the grave.

Phoebe waited a minute or so before stepping out from behind the tree, and slowly approached the grave.

Slowly she placed her single lily on the grave turned around and left.

 _I am doing my best Crystal, but to be honest I don't know what I'm doing._

* * *

 **A/N I would just like to point out that Phoebe does NOT know everything going on with Max, there are somethings even she's in the dark about. The only person who knows everything is Max and well he's not about to say anything.**

 **Oh and by the way in case your wondering who the woman is that Max made a deal with I decided to name her Madam X. She is a huge villain with the ability to take powers from other supers use them herself. She can leave superpowered beings virtually defenseless, which is why Max is not willing to do something stupid like steal the time machine. He has no idea just how many powers she's taken and for all he knows she could have telepathy and be able to read his mind about his plan and stop him before he's even tried to enact it.**

 **She doesn't of course. Otherwise she would have known Phoebe was spying on them and would have frozen Phoebe and continued the conversation at a different location.**

 **Hope you liked it.**

 **Anyway if you really think about it these three chapters were basically just three very _long_ prologues to the show. I don't know If I'm actually going to continue as I don't actually have a middle planned.**

 **Oh I have several endings planned and on ending spawns a sequel that would be fun to write.**

 **Fun fact: Crystal is very Sherlockian in the sense that she can read a person by just looking at them.**


	4. You Should Read This AN

So... I posted a sequel called 'In Order to Be Your Hero I Must Be The Villain so Please go check it out!


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